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Saturday, March 26, 2011

Arguing the Case Against the Libya Attack, Xtranormal Style [VIDEO] (Mashable) : Technet

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Arguing the Case Against the Libya Attack, Xtranormal Style [VIDEO] (Mashable) : Technet

Arguing the Case Against the Libya Attack, Xtranormal Style [VIDEO] (Mashable)

Posted: 26 Mar 2011 10:10 AM PDT

Todd Wasserman Todd Wasserman – Sat Mar 26, 1:10 pm ET



Perhaps the most cogent argument yet against the U.S.'s recent airstrikes on Libya comes from a cartoon character.

This Xtranormal video, with a decidedly right-leaning point of view, compares President Obama's decision to bomb Libya with President Bush's invasion of Iraq in 2003. With close to 100,000 views since it was loaded four days ago, the argument seems to have struck a chord.

Of course, it's a fairly lopsided debate. The Bush defender here is presented as rational and well-informed while his liberal coworker is pretty dim, brushing aside his objections by noting, "I don't care. Obama is cool and awesome. His bracket picks were outstanding too," and declaring that she gets all her news from Saturday Night Live, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert.

The cartoon animation and the robotic delivery typical of Xtranormal has a distancing effect, but it also prevents the discussion from becoming too strident. Perhaps this is the way the country will argue amongst itself going forward. Good thing we now have an easy way to do so.

Race revs up to fill vacant western New York House seat (Reuters)

Posted: 26 Mar 2011 07:29 AM PDT

By Neale Gulley Neale Gulley – Sat Mar 26, 10:29 am ET

BUFFALO, New York (Reuters) – The race for western New York's 26th Congressional seat, left vacant by Republican Chris Lee's abrupt resignation after shirtless pictures of him surfaced online, likely won't include much mention of that scandal.

That's largely because both major party candidates are women who are distanced from the dirt, political analysts say.

Local Republican leaders selected state Assemblywoman Jane Corwin within two weeks of Lee's resignation on February 9, while Democrats last week picked Erie County Clerk Kathleen Hochul.

"Two women as major party candidates puts even more distance between Lee and either candidate. It makes the scandal particularly irrelevant to the race," said James Campbell, chairman of the political science department at the University of Buffalo.

Instead, the candidates are campaigning primarily on job creation in the once industry-rich region.

Five candidates in all are running to fill Lee's term, which ends in January 2013. The election will be held May 24.

Lee, who had just begun his second term, resigned hours after his photograph -- shirtless, flexing before a mirror -- turned up on a gossip website. E-mails from Lee were published as well in which the married father appeared to be soliciting the attentions of a woman on the website craigslist.com.

But those developments did not scar the local party, Campbell said. "It was such a personal scandal. It's hard to assign any party to it."

Corwin, a wealthy executive who took state office in 2008, has the funding and clout to win in the district, which tilts Republican, Campbell said.

Since World War II only two Democrats have represented the district, which encompasses a large rural area along with parts of Buffalo and Rochester. According to the state Board of Elections, there are roughly 148,000 registered Democrats to 174,000 Republican voters in the district.

"The question is whether national Democratic money will come in to support Hochul," Campbell said. "If not, I think her prospects are pretty poor."

But Hochul spokesman Fabien Levy noted the Democrat was reelected county clerk last year with 80 percent of the vote.

Her campaign is largely grass-roots and will rely on contributions from constituents, while Corwin is getting both national help and using her own money as well, he said.

"She thinks she can buy the seat," Levy said. "We on the other hand think Kathy getting out there and talking with voters will do the trick."

Of the three other candidates, industrialist Jack Davis has run three unsuccessful campaigns for the seat. He is well-funded and has name recognition, Campbell said.

He previously ran as a Democrat and is running this time on the Tea Party line after failing to win Republican backing.

Davis could split conservative votes and act as a spoiler in the race, Campbell said.

"It's in the Democratic Party's interest that he run and split up the Republican Party," he said.

The founder of a company that manufactures components for solar panels and television screens, Davis has said he would invest at least $3 million of his own money in the race.

Also running are independent David Bellavia, an Iraq war veteran, and Green Party candidate Ian Murphy, an editor at a local online magazine, although a local media report this week said Bellavia may have failed to file all the necessary paperwork to qualify.

Democrat Hochul has been the target of nationally funded television ads criticizing her voting record and tax hikes she helped enact during 13 years as a town board member in her hometown of Hamburg, outside the 26th district.

While Hochul has been criticized over the residency issue, Chris Lee's predecessor in the seat, Republican Tom Reynolds, also lived outside the district prior to his election.

(Editing by Ellen Wulfhorst and Jerry Norton)

Baidu apologises to writers in copyright dispute (AFP)

Posted: 26 Mar 2011 06:00 AM PDT

– Sat Mar 26, 9:00 am ET

BEIJING (AFP) – Chinese search engine giant Baidu apologised on Saturday to writers who accused it of violating their copyright and promised to delete infringing items within the next three days.

"We will now make a concerted effort and devote considerable technological and manpower resources towards getting rid of any infringing content in the next three days," Baidu spokesman Kaiser Kuo told AFP.

"We apologise to any authors or publishers whose feelings may have been hurt by the presence of infringing content on Baidu."

The dispute began last week when more than 40 writers including top-selling author Han Han signed a letter blasting Baidu for providing their works as free downloads on its online library Baidu Wenku without their permission.

State media reported on Friday that negotiations between the Internet giant and Chinese writers to resolve the dispute had broken down, and that the company now faced potential court action.

Baidu Wenku was launched in 2009 and allows users to read, share or download books for free. Some books also can be purchased at a large discount from the cover price.

All documents are uploaded by Internet users and as of November Baidu Wenku had stockpiled more than 10 million files and books, accounting for 70 percent of China's online file-sharing market, according to the company's figures.

Kuo had previously defended Baidu Wenku, saying the firm had already deleted "tens of thousands of infringing items" uploaded by web users.

He denied claims that the firm had made money from Baidu Wenku, but he added the firm intended to profit from the service in the future and share the proceeds out.

Baidu has long been criticised for flouting intellectual property rights. Its MP3 search service, which provides links to free but often pirated music downloads, has drawn particular fire from the recording industry.

The US Trade Representative's office last month named Baidu as one of the world's top marketplaces for pirated and counterfeit goods.

Motorola's 'Web OS' May Taste Like Cappuccino (ContributorNetwork)

Posted: 26 Mar 2011 04:51 PM PDT

Jared Spurbeck Jared Spurbeck – Sat Mar 26, 7:51 pm ET
Contribute content like this. Start here.

Motorola "is developing a Web-based mobile operating system as a possible alternative to Google's Android software," according to the anonymous source that broke the story to Information Week. This begs a few questions, such as: What the heck is a "Web-based mobile operating system"? Does this source even know what it's talking about?

As it turns out, he or she just might. Because last year, Motorola bought out a startup called 280 North, which happened to be working on something called Cappuccino ... a way to build web-based apps, that run in the browser but are just as good as desktop PC or Mac apps.

Is that even possible?

Maybe. Take a look at these Cappuccino apps that made their way to the Chrome Web Store. Even if you're not on Google Chrome, you can still click on the icons to see what each one is like. These are serious apps we're talking about, "Web-based" or not.

If you're familiar with what Mac OS X apps look like, you might notice a resemblance. But it goes deeper than just having a thick menu bar at the top; Cappuccino's got Cocoa in it. It clones the rich Cocoa framework that Apple uses, which lets Mac and iPhone developers create such full-featured apps.

So how does that help them with this?

Well, an operating system (like Android or the iPhone's iOS) is no good unless you've got apps to run on it, right? A "Web-based" OS needs "web-based" apps, that were built using web technologies. The better the underlying technologies, the better the apps.

We've seen something like this before. HP's WebOS, used on its Palm smartphones and upcoming TouchPad tablet, runs apps that're built using web programming languages. You can even write apps for it in your browser, using a web app called "Ares."

What's the point of an OS that's basically just a big web browser?

I don't know, ask HP ... or Google. There's this thing it's working on called Chrome OS, that you may or may not have heard of.

Chrome OS is for laptops. Doesn't Motorola make smartphones?

Yes, it does. Like the Motorola Atrix 4G, a phone that "turns into" a laptop using an optional attachment. I wrote an article earlier which described the Atrix, and which panned its "Webtop" attachment for being an underpowered laptop, that only works if you have a phone plugged into it. The Webtop is so underpowered that all it can do is run Firefox ... in other words, a web browser.

Motorola has its "web-based OS" already. It just needs to make it worth using ... a feat that I'm sure the 280 North people, plus the ex-Apple and Adobe engineers Motorola picked up, will be able to help with.

If that's what it's planning on doing, this even answers the question of why Motorola is doing this, when their Android phones like the Droid helped turn the company around. Maybe it's not replacing Android, just yet ... it just has some ideas for what to do with it.

Jared Spurbeck is an open-source software enthusiast, who uses an Android phone and an Ubuntu laptop PC. He has been writing about technology and electronics since 2008.

Google slides into group texting with Disco Messenger iPhone app (Digital Trends)

Posted: 26 Mar 2011 03:30 PM PDT

Andrew Couts Andrew Couts – Sat Mar 26, 6:30 pm ET

Disco Ball

Google jumped on the group texting bandwagon late this week with the launch of the Disco Messenger app for the iPhone. Some have called the app a "secret," since it didn't arrive bearing the Google name. Instead, the app was released by Slide, a company Google purchased last August for $182 million.

Like most group messaging apps now available, Disco allows users to create groups and send texts to everyone in the group at once. It is currently available only for the iPhone as a mobile app, and can also be accessed on the web at Disco.com. (As TechCrunch reports, Google purchased that domain at Domainfest last year for $255,000.)

From our initial tests, it seems as though Disco could have used a bit more polishing before going public. In other words, the app works as advertised, but its functionality is still a bit clunky.

Once the app is downloaded, users must send a text message to Disco to activate their phone.

Disco-1
After this, users can start creating groups. This part is fairly straightforward — a contact list pops up, and you just check each name you'd like to include in the group. Select the "create group" button, and the group is automatically assigned a unique phone number by Disco. And that's basically it.

Disco-Google-Messenger-iPhone-app
From what we can tell from the little time we've had to spend with the app so far, the biggest downfall with Disco is in how it handles group management. To update a group, you must text send a text message to Disco with the name and number. Group management can also be done through the website, which, unfortunately, is much more simple than doing it through the app.

Disco isn't a bad app — just a bit more stripped down than some of its competitors, like GroupMe and Beluga. The lack of bells and whistles does allows Disco to have a bit zippier functionality that other group messaging apps, so that's a plus.

Before going crazy with texting all your friends, know that you are charged standard rates for the text messages sent through Disco, which is free to download. (Unlimited texing through AT&T, or 5000 monthly texts through Verizon, costs roughly $20 per month.)

The consensus among those in the tech world seems to be that the group messaging sector is already too crowded as it is â€" and Disco may have come to the party a bit to late, with not enough to stand out from the competition.

4chan plots to trick men on OKCupid into holding 'involuntary flashmob' (Digital Trends)

Posted: 26 Mar 2011 08:37 PM PDT

Andrew Couts Andrew Couts – 42 mins ago

forever-alone-nyc-4chan-reddit-flashmob

Guys of OkCupid.com beware: The scalawags of 4chan.org and the r/4chan group of Reddit.com are on a mission to make you the laughing stock of the Internet.

According to a flier posted on Reddit on Tuesday, the pranksters plan to create fake online dating profiles using jacked Facebook pictures from "mildly cute" women, then convince "forever alone guys from NYC" that these fake ladies want to meet up.

All impostors must trick their targets into meeting at 7:30pm on Friday, May 13, outside the 47th Digital electronics store at the corner of 46th and Broadway in Times Square. To maximize the LULZ, this exact location is also broadcast 24/7 online via a surveillance camera at Earthcam.com (*cough* camera #2 *cough*).

If all goes well (for 4chan), a massive group of "angry alone guys" will converge on this sad corner of Times Square to find that they'd been had by the Internet — and to form the world's first "involuntary flashmob."

4chan-reddit-involuntary-flashmob

To fight back against this cold-hearted hoax, a counter-caper has been proposed to lure equally lonely and unsuspecting women to the same corner, at the same time, to create the world's first involuntary singles mixer.

The irony of planning such an antic on Reddit and 4chan — whose members aren't exactly known for their ways with the opposite sex — hasn't escaped much of anyone. That said, it's safe to assume that the people who anonymously support this idea must at least believe that someone aside from themselves are going to come out looking foolish in this whole debacle.

Considering that a variety of tech publications are now reporting the story, it seems as though the cat's out of the bag. The plan is no longer a secret; therefore, there's no one to fool — at least not as many as there would have been if we'd all kept our big mouths shut.

Here's an idea: Since we highly doubt anything will come of this plan, as it requires a significant amount of time and a large number of people to carry out, why not just have a regular, ol' voluntary flashmob. Everyone can high-five, and go for a drink afterward. It'll be a party instead of the saddest thing this side of a kitten who's lost its momma. Who's in?

P.S. If anyone happens to know any girls, be sure to bring them along.

Wireless companies 'track your every move' (Digital Trends)

Posted: 26 Mar 2011 11:56 AM PDT

Andrew Couts Andrew Couts – Sat Mar 26, 2:56 pm ET

big-brother-at&t-tracking-gpsBig Brother really is watching you — constantly. According to a new report by The New York Times, cell phone companies often "track your every move" — and they do so while keeping their customers entirely in the dark about the intrusive practice.

This disconcerting revelation came to light after German politician Malte Spitz sued his mobile provider, Deutsche Telekom, to find out exactly what information about him they had acquired. What the court revealed is shocking — even if it's not much of a surprise to those suspicious of our ceaseless connectivity.

Between the end of August, 2009 to the end of February, 2010, Deutsche Telekom, current owner of T-Mobile, “had recorded and saved his longitude and latitude coordinates more than 35,000 times,â€

"We are all walking around with little tags, and our tag has a phone number associated with it, who we called and what we do with the phone," Sarah E. Williams, a graphic information expert at Columbia University tells the Times. "We don't even know we are giving up that data."

In the United States, even less is known about what level of surveillance wireless companies are conducting on their customers because these companies are not required to divulge what information they collect. According to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, however, that information is extensive, and is only getting more so.

One of the reasons telecoms are collecting the data is for market research purposes. Another, perhaps more troubling reason, is for the benefit of law enforcement, like the FBI and CIA.

In contrast to the installation of "cookies" by websites, which are used to gather information about a person's online browsing habits, it is currently impossible — or at least incredibly difficult — to opt out of cell phone surveillance in the US. A variety of "do not track" services, from companies like Google and Mozilla, are now available, which prevent websites from automatically installing cookies on users' computers.

Perhaps that will change if customers start suing their telecoms, as Mr. Spitz did in Germany. But in this age when many of us have already opted out of personal privacy by publishing a wide range of aspects of our lives online, such a fight seems unlikely.

How Much Is Rebecca Black Making Off of Friday? (Mashable)

Posted: 26 Mar 2011 09:07 AM PDT

Todd Wasserman Todd Wasserman – Sat Mar 26, 12:07 pm ET

None other than Lady Gaga recently pronounced Rebecca Black a "genius," but is Black now a millionaire too?

That's been the subject of some speculation over the past few days as the video for Black's so-bad-it's-good anthem Friday has racked up 53 million views and counting. What kind of cash can Black expect out of that?

According to Forbes columnist Chris Barth, YouTube makes about $1 per thousand page views, of which content creators like Black (and Ark Music Factory, the Los Angeles-based producer that wrote the tune) get 68% of the profit. If that's the case, then the total take for Black and her producer is about $36,000.

Going by a similar ballpark measure, Black's iTunes sales of 37,000 in the first week nets out to about $26,000 if 101 Distribution's claim that Apple pays $.70 per download is true. Adding those two figures together, Black and Ark Music Factory have netted about $62,000. That's not including whatever revenues Ark gets for selling a Friday ringtone at $1.29.

Barth, who mistakenly wrote that Black's song had been downloaded on iTunes 2 million times, had initially proclaimed her a millionaire based on that calculation, but it looks more likely, as Annie Lowrey writes in Slate, that Black is actually a "thousandaire."

Whatever the ultimate take, the point is somewhat moot anyway since the affable Black announced on The Tonight Show this week that she planned to donate the money she made from the video to Japan and to her school. Meanwhile, Ark is using its suddenly well-visited website to promote its next teen would-be star, Alana Lee.

Meet the Makers: Diego Prats of Border Stylo (Appolicious)

Posted: 26 Mar 2011 06:00 AM PDT

AT&T's T-Mobile Buyout: Customers Speak (PC World)

Posted: 26 Mar 2011 12:37 PM PDT

Ian Paul Ian Paul – Sat Mar 26, 3:37 pm ET

AT&T may be excited about its pending acquisition of T-Mobile USA, but T-Mobile users are wary of losing their beloved carrier and their cheaply priced plans. Some are threatening to run away from AT&T once their contract is up, while others are wondering if they can canc el their service without getting slapped with an early termination fee (ETF). Others are just sad to see T-Mobile go the way of the dodo.

It's still too early to know for sure if AT&T will get to buy T-Mobile since the deal still has to get regulatory approval from the Department of Justice and the Federal Communications Commission. This process is expected to take at least 12 months. But the long goodbye hasn't stopped T-Mobile's dedicated users from fearing the worst and bidding farewell to the smallest national carrier in the U.S.

Oh, No, Not Again!

"I hate this. Every time I run away from AT&T they buy up who I ran to," says T-Mobile forum user Molotov. "I went from Verizon to AT&T; went to Cingular... then to T-Mobile; and back to AT&T. I guess there's no escaping my destiny. Here AT&T. Here's my Bank Pin Number. Let's get this over with."

Chalk up one easy assimilation for AT&T; welcome to the hive Molotov.

Can I Cancel My Contract?

Another prevailing theme among T-Mobile users is the question of whether they can cancel their contract if AT&T takes over.

It's doubtful that AT&T will just let customers walk away free and clear from their contracts, so don't count on that. The most common way to get out of a mobile contract early is if your carrier hikes up the cost of your service before your contract expires. Should that happen, then you may have an argument. But considering that AT&T is obligated to honor all T-Mobile contracts until they expire, don't count on being able to break your contract early because of price hikes.

What About My Plan?

Others are also concerned about losing their unlimited and cheap phone plans.

"Am I going to loose my unlimited data plan after this acquisition completes," asked T-Mobile user awsule. As with the previous concerns, AT&T would be required to honor your current T-Mobile contract, but it's unclear what would happen after your contract expires.

Don't Do It Or I'll Jump

"I have absolutely no use for AT&T If your merger gets approved then I will cancel service," says user seanmachado in one thread on T-Mobile's forums. Those sentiments appeared to be a predominant theme on the forums.

"I have 5 lines through Tmo, and I will certainly take them elsewhere if this deal goes through," says jcindy81.

"I've only been with tmo for 4 yrs, and my contract is up in sept. I will not re-up simply because this deal might go through. If the FCC and the DOJ do the smart thing and shoot down this merger, I'll come back," says T-Mobile user nine.

The iPhone Did It?

You might want to put on your tin foil hats for this one folks, because the source of all suffering has been tracked back to the iPhone.

"The number one reason why T-Mobile is going under is Apple," says the oddly-named user attmobile. "When you have a product like the iPhone with the potential to revolutionize the smart phone industry, you simply cannot sell it exclusively to one carrier. Spread it out so that carriers can still compete on price and also network usage is evenly distributed."

Goodbye, Old Friend

Another group of users appears resigned to their fate and are taking this moment to thank T-Mobile for its service.

"I would simply like to say "thank you" to the T-Mobile employees and leadership which have made my experience so great over the last decade," says one T-Mobile forum user. "Here's hoping that enough of that spirit lasts with the AT&T transition that I won't want to throw my new phone away right away."

"It was the hard-working dedicated T-mobile staff from the store to customer care you guys are amazing and have made what T-mobile is today," says josemedina1983 in the same thread.

"I too have found T-mo customer service OUTSTANDING. Not a time would go by that I wouldn't hang up the phone after contacting them that I wouldn't wish OTHER companies I dealt with could take lessons from them," says another user. Many people voiced similar compliments for T-Mobile's service.

They Will Be Assimilated? Excellent.

AT&T customers are also weighing in on the T-Mobile acquisition. Over on Technologizer, Harry McCracken asked his Twitter followers what they thought of the merger and several AT&T users say they can't t wait to point their antennas at T-Mobile towers.

"I am already an AT&T customer so if it improves signal coverage and speed without increasing cost I'm all for it," Michael Halbe says.

Twitter user Caleb Davis tells McCracken, "I frequently travel to places [without] ATT coverage and everyone there uses unlocked iPhones on T-mobile. I can't wait."

One insightful user on Facebook identifies what may be the most important issue. "My main concern is how this will affect T-Mobile's marketing campaign," says Wes Platt. "And whether it means we'll get a commercial in which the T-Mobile girl loses HER shirt because she's now partnered with AT&T."

T-Mobile: Don't Lose Your Shirt

Connect with Ian Paul (@ianpaul) and Today@PCWorld on Twitter for the latest tech news and analysis.

Report: Amazon Launching Music Storage Service (PC Magazine)

Posted: 26 Mar 2011 04:57 AM PDT

Leslie Horn - PC Magazine Leslie Horn - Pc Magazine – Sat Mar 26, 7:57 am ET

Amazon is planning to launch its own digital content storage service, and it could be available as early as next week.

According to a CNet report, Amazon has been talking to major record labels and film studios about creating a service that would allow you to store your music, movies, and books on Amazon's servers like a "digital locker."

Amazon is reportedly still trying to obtain all the necessary licenses, but the plans could be announced before the negotiations are complete, CNet says.

Both Google and Apple are said to be working on similar services. Google has reportedly launched Google Music internally, which means it could be prepping the platform for a public release.

Competition between the three companies could be heating up. Last week, Amazon launched its Android Appstore, featuring nearly 30 categories of mobile apps such as books, games, social networking, and music. The store offers one free paid app per day and allows you to test-drive apps from your PC.

Among some of the other features of the Amazon Appstore are one-click purchasing, recommendations, and a deals section that offers discounted apps. Some have speculated that the reason Amazon has launched this venture is because its reading its own Android-based tablet. However, the company has not commented on the matter.

Apple reportedly has sued Amazon in an attempt to block the company's use of the term "App Store," saying that its in violation of Apple's trademark. Meanwhile, Microsoft is trying to block Apple's attempts to trademark the phrase, arguing that "app store" is too generic of a name.

Samsung: Do You Want Your IPad Clone in Small, Medium or Large? (ContributorNetwork)

Posted: 26 Mar 2011 03:47 PM PDT

Jared Spurbeck Jared Spurbeck – Sat Mar 26, 6:47 pm ET
Contribute content like this. Start here.

In 2007, Apple started the smartphone market by showing smartphone makers what they had to aspire to: The iPhone. The tablet market hasn't quite caught up to the iPad that created it yet, but Samsung's given us a date for when it thinks it will: June 8.

That's when the new Galaxy Tab launches. And Samsung's adding on to its lineup, with new 8.9 inch and 10.1 inch Galaxy Tab models to complement the old 7 inch. These tablets will have slightly smaller and slightly larger screens than the iPad 2's, respectively, but Samsung claims that they'll both be thinner and lighter (even though these claims are disputed).

So what do these tablets have going for them, and is there any reason you'd buy one instead of an iPad?

Design by checklist

The new Galaxy Tabs have all the right boxes checked off. Size? Thinner. Weight? Lighter. Their screens are sharper, their front- and rear-facing cameras have better resolutions, and they've got dual-core processors just like the iPad 2. They're seemingly designed to be its equal or better in every way, including price: The 10.1 inch model starts at $499, the same as an iPad 2.

After that, the Tabs toss in all the buzzwords that everyone's talking about. Android 3.0 "Honeycomb," the first version of Android that's designed for tablets? Of course. How about Adobe Flash? Sure, even though it works about as well as it does on other Android devices (which is not very well). 4G wireless speeds? Supposedly, once they're ready.

If a company got feature checklist dysfunction and decided it had to outdo the iPad 2 on everything, that's exactly what the new Galaxy Tabs would look like. And with the June launch date (for the Wi-Fi version of the 10.1 inch Tab, at least), they're only a few months behind. So is there anything they're leaving out?

"Experience" is not on the checklist

Let's start with retail and marketing. A lot of people think these are Apple's only advantages, and that they're unfair somehow. But whatever you think of Apple's ads, they have to be better than the cheesy, contrived "interviews" Samsung did to promote the Tabs, at the CTIA Wireless show. Besides pointing out how these "true-life stories" bore a striking resemblance to Samsung's marketing points, writer Harry McCraken also noted how the people being interviewed appeared to be actors.

So once these videos convince you that you need a Galaxy Tab, where do you get one? Not at the Apple Store. You'll have to look past the other Android tablets at the electronics store, each one a black and gray slate that runs basically the same software.

And what software do they run? Not any of the 65,000 iPad apps. They run Android apps, and precious few of those (besides Google's) have been optimized for tablets yet. Without apps, what's the point of having a tablet?

The Upshot

Samsung's made a heroic effort, and the new Tabs are striking hardware-wise. But the message it's sending is out-of-tune. It seems like it's hoping you'll forget that there's any way to judge between tablets besides raw checklists of specs ... sort of like how things are in the PC market.

But just like with computers, Apple's set itself apart in the tablet market that it created. And if no one can make something that's not "just like an iPad, but ... " then Apple's going to continue to dominate people's choices.

Jared Spurbeck is an open-source software enthusiast, who uses an Android phone and an Ubuntu laptop PC. He has been writing about technology and electronics since 2008.
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